17 Days previously, August 24th 2010, 8:30 pm.

                The dimly lit vintage lamps emanated a low warm amber over the worn wooden tables and pine leather laced stools. It almost created an inviting ambiance. The only smell in my nose was the one of polished and aging whiskey.

                  The faint smell of beer on my lips hitting my lips. The bar was nearly empty except for the bartender, a few other drunks, and me. The polished wood counter reflected the dim light illuminating form the vintage lamps. In the far corner of the bar stood an old jukebox with its colorful lights flickering on in occasion waiting for someone to come and turn it on and dance to it's old tunes.

                Nobody was talking, the only sound that I could hear was the gentle humming coming off of an old refrigerator in the back of the bar. Outside the bag entrance stood the neon red open signing buzzing ever so softly in the night. It cast hues of small red light through the window.

                "You want another?" The bartender asked as he cleaned a glass cup on the other side of the counter gently with his hands.

                  "After the day I had, I do need another one." I set my empty bottle down on the polished wood counter, the lights now started reflecting off the bottle.

               "What happened?" He asked as he took my bottle and walked over to the fridge and pulled out another bottle. He handed it to me.

            I looked up at him, the dim lights making it easier to see him. "Long tiring shift at my work. A nurse. Working from 7 am all the way to 7 pm."

                "12 hour shift. That sucks. Why'd you choose to be a nurse if the shift hours are that miserable?" He leaned against the back counter.

                  I opened the cap of the bottle and took a small sip of beer, it traveled to the back of my throat and made me cough a little as I put the bottle back down. "I don't know. Just seemed like something I would have enjoyed. But I'm starting to question that decision nowadays."

                   He nodded his head. The bell over the entrance door rang as someone else came in. A police officer. He looked around 5 foot 11, graying hair on his head, a receding hairline and brown eyes and a blank look on his face. He sat at the bar stool a few feet away from me and looked in my direction for a second before turning away. "Make it a beer."  He took money out of his wallet and threw it on the counter.

                 The bartender looked at the police officer and grabbed the money. "Sure thing." He turned and walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the same brand of beer I was drinking and handed it to the police officer.

                 I watched as the police officer opened the bottle and took a sip and set the bottle back down. He saw me staring at him and just nodded his head back at me. I nodded my head back at him and looked away from him. I heard the bartender speak to him.

                "What brings you in here?" He looked at the cops badge. "Officer Philips?"

                 Officer Philip's looks up at the bartender as he took another sip. "Same as her probably. Terrible shift. Nailed some bastard on meth. He was eating a dead body like some sick psycho."
 
                  "Well that's a first around here. Jesus." The bartender replied as he rubbed his forehead repeatedly with his hand.

                Weird, fucking cannibalism? I mean Anchorage was a very dangerous, crime ridden city but I had never heard of any cannibalism before in all the time I have lived here. Better keep an eye out tonight when I'm walking back to my car, just in case anymore people on meth wanna try out cannibalism.
 
               A sigh escaped my lips as I took another swig of from my bottle of beer.
 
 

               The bartender picked up a paper from the Anchorage Daily News. Curious I raised my eyebrow and looked up to see what the first page contained. Prominent French/Nigerian Biomedicine Scientist Adaeze Dubois committed suicide earlier yesterday morning.

              "That's weird, Scientist who probably has everything going for her such as money, respect, etc kills herself." I replied with a shrug as I took another sip of my drink.

                The bartender turned over the paper, the sound of the papers hitting each other, it reminded me of school when the teacher was handing out papers, seemed like such a long time ago now. "Must of had some mental illness or something that drove her to do it."

                 "Yeah maybe." I replied, awkward silence slowly filling the air if the bar. Still it was weird, even if she was suffering from mental illness why kill herself? She had everything going probably? Maybe she was just really depressed or something and that caused her to do it. I guess I'll probably never know.

                 "I think that's enough for me. I gotta get home at least somewhat sober." I stood up from the bar stool and cringed at the screech it made against the floor. I reached into my pocket and took out my wallet.

                "This should be enough." I said as I reached into my wallet pulling out a couple of old crumpled Bill's stained with lipstick and pen Mark's.

                The bartender stared at me as I held out the money for him to grab. He must have wanted to cringe at what the money looked like. "I've seen worse bills." He took the Bill's and stuffed them in the register not even giving a bother to count.

              "Stay safe and drive safe." The bartender replied as he turned around walking towards the back.

               "I'll try... goodnight." I let out a sigh as I staggered a little towards the door. Driving while having alcohol in my system was a fucking stupid idea, maybe I should call one of my colleagues, see if I can get them to drive me home. I was surprised that the officer at the bar wasn't saying anything to me or stopping me.

              A frail older woman dressed in a red plaid shirt, dirty brown Jean's and steel toe boits and her glistening gray hair was tied back into a loose ponytail came through the entrance door. I nearly staggered into her as I tried to reach for the door after she came in. "Jesus christ pay attention!"

              I stared at her and nodded my head as I staggered out the door into the parking lot. "Ugh, note to self never drink again."

             I reached down into my purse as I walked closer to my car and fumbled around looking for the keys. "Come on, ugh."

             I started then to reach for my phone and fumbled for a while before I felt the outline of the phone. I quickly pulled it out. A Nokia, a phone that was like a goddamn brick, a phone that was said to be indestructible. I pressed the on button as I  immediately tapped on the call app.   

           I scanned through my contacts. My coworker Ellen, no she was a real bitch, was always lazy and doesn't do a damn thing anyone tells her, my other coworker Slyvia, more competent than Ellen, but no, Rachel another coworker, no she was a bitch as well, my coworker Donald, no he was a real creep, my old friend Michael, no he was out of town, Fairbanks I think... Samira Atrash,she was one of my good friends, she was from palestine, tough girl had been through a lot of shit back in her homeland.

            I tapped on her number and held my phone ro my right ear, the ringing was constant as I waited for her to at least pick up. She should still be awake, she didn't go to bed until like 9:30 pm every night. The ringing silenced after the first attempt of calling Samira. "Come on Samira pick up."

           I tapped it again and pressed it up further against my ear to hear. Ringing again, for 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds... After a few more... Silence again. "Shit, guess I'm either driving home and risking getting into an accident or pulled over for DUI. Great."

            I pressed my finger on the button was last time to attempt to reach her before I stopped, my finger shaking over the button. A scream... a womans scream I heard it, not that far from me, I would say... about even 20 feet away. The screaming echord in my mind and abruptly  stopped and was following by gurgling, like some gurgling mouthwash after brushing their teeth. I looked around quickly in all directions to find the source.

            My eyes drifted over towards an alleyway near the side of the bar near another 2 story building. Crouched down in the darkness was the silhouette of a man standing over something, or someone... Why was he hiding in the darkness of the unknown?

           The faint glow of the moonlight was the only thing illuminating his presence. As a few clouds passed over the moon I saw what the man was crouched over. A body of a woman, her red hair was clumped and stained with fresh blood, her green button up shirt ripped open to shred with blood staining the shirt a dark hue of red. Her neck had been wrapped open, her eyes were still open and the life from them had disappeared.

            The man was feasting on her corpse. I stood there frozen, consumed by bewilderment and overall, fear. Without paying attention my phone very slowly fell from my hand. My eyes widened like a person's smile widening. "No! No!"

             I fumbled quickly with my phone trying to grab it. But it was too late. The phone hit the pavement of the parking lot making a loud thud noise. The noise echoed and caused the man feasting on that poor bastard of a woman to slowly pull himself up and turn around.

            His glossy white yellow eyes stared at me as the womans tissue, blood, and muscle fell from his mouth and onto the ground. His body twitched for a few seconds before he let out a large groan and started charging at me with an incredible pace.

           OH SHIT! I whirled my entire body around as fast as I could make it and tried ignoring my constant staggering and fumbled with my purse reaching for my keys. Where the hell were they!? I ran towards the direction of my car and looked down into my purse. "Jesus!"

               Out of desperation I dumped the contents of my purse out onto the asphalt and reached down scurrying through all my shit quickly. I saw the keys near an old gym wrapper. I grabbed it quickly and looked back to see the crazed man only a few feet away. I stuffed the key into the door lock and turned it as quickly as I could. "Come on you piece of shit!"

              I turned the key again. A snapping sound rang throughout my ear drums. No... I looked back and saw the man running even quicker towards me. I turned around and ran over the curb nearly tripping over my own 2 feet. The man still trailing behind me.

             "SOMEBODY! HELP ME! PLEASE!" I screamed around desperately looking for anyone else in the parking lot. Nobody, I was alone. Run back to the bar... would I make it? Or would this man or whatever he was get me and tear me apart like that woman in the alleyway?

              "What's going on out here?" A voice yelled out sounding alarmed and confused. I whirled my head in the direction of the voice. Thank god the police officer!

             I started running back towards him near the bar waving my hands around like a lunatic. "SIR HELP ME! PLEASE! THERE IS THIS MAN CHASING ME!"

           He stared at me in confusion before the man came into his view still chasing after me. The police officer reached to his holster and tried to unlatch his gun. "Sir!"

             The man didn't listen and lunged at the police officer and bit down into the his neck, ripping off apart of his neck and flesh. Jesus... The police officers screams filled through the air as the man started tearing him apart.

              I covered my mouth in horror to prevent myself from screaming, No... I heard another set of muffled groans behind me, I turned and saw the woman who had been laying dead in the alleyway just a few minutes ago getting up, blood dripped in a trail as she picked her head up. No,no I didn't wang any part of what the fuck was going on here.

               I turned around making sure she didn't see me and sprinted as fast as I could for the moment out of the parking lot not looking back, leaving the police officer to die. I had no other choice, he had no chance now, I still did...

(Hope you enjoyed this first chapter!)